Table 1.
Baseline characteristics
| Characteristic | Entire CDR (1995–2012), n = 5575 | CDR included in final cohort∗, n = 3008 (54%) | Entire HEARTis (2013–2019), n = 3844 | HEARTis included in final cohort∗, n = 2928 (76%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | ||||
| Median age, y [Q1, Q3] | 65 [55.5, 72] | 65.5 [57, 73] | 67 [58, 74] | 67 (58, 74) |
| Male sex | 4575 (82.1) | 2465 (81.9) | 3026 (78.7) | 2324 (79.4) |
| Neighbourhood income quintile | ||||
| First (lowest income) | 1056 (18.9) | 561 (18.7) | 757 (19.7) | 586 (20) |
| Second | 1151 (20.6) | 643 (21.4) | 723 (18.8) | 558 (19.1) |
| Third | 1100 (19.7) | 618 (20.5) | 776 (20.2) | 605 (20.7) |
| Fourth | 1044 (18.7) | 566 (18.8) | 766 (19.9) | 598 (20.4) |
| Fifth (highest income) | 1080 (19.4) | 574 (19.1) | 710 (18.5) | 547 (18.7) |
| Missing | 144 (2.6) | 46 (1.5) | 112 (2.9) | 34 (1.2) |
| Medical history in prior year | ||||
| CCI ≥ 2 | 2870 (51.5) | 1646 (54.7) | 2150 (55.9) | 1668 (57) |
| ≥ 1 hospitalization | 5514 (98.9) | 3008 (100) | 3776 (98.2) | 2928 (100.0) |
| ≥ 7 physician visits | 5420 (97.2) | 2974 (98.9) | 3717 (96.7) | 2885 (98.5) |
| Any heart condition | 5453 (97.8) | 2975 (98.9) | 3712 (96.6) | 2885 (98.5) |
| Myocardial infarction | 1529 (27.4) | 784 (26.1) | 958 (24.9) | 741 (25.3) |
| Congestive heart failure | 4079 (73.2) | 2402 (79.9) | 2769 (72.0) | 2161 (73.8) |
| Peripheral vascular disease | 437 (7.8) | 225 (7.5) | 179 (4.7) | 134 (4.6) |
| Cerebrovascular disease | 278 (5.0) | 151 (5.0) | 192 (5.0) | 139 (4.7) |
| Dementia | 31 (0.6) | 23 (0.8) | 37 (1.0) | 26 (0.9) |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 621 (11.1) | 345 (11.5) | 428 (11.1) | 334 (11.4) |
| Rheumatic disease | 57 (1.0) | 30 (1.0) | 30 (0.8) | 25 (0.9) |
| Peptic ulcer disease | 59 (1.1) | 33 (1.1) | 39 (1.0) | 29 (1.0) |
| Mild liver disease | 48 (0.9) | 26 (0.9) | 58 (1.5) | 44 (1.5) |
| Diabetes | 1407 (25.2) | 852 (28.3) | 1229 (32.0) | 947 (32.3) |
| Paraplegia and hemiplegia | 33 (0.6) | 17 (0.6) | 16 (0.4) | 9 (0.3) |
| Renal disease | 479 (8.6) | 280 (9.3) | 591 (15.4) | 456 (15.6) |
| Cancer | 181 (3.2) | 95 (3.2) | 151 (3.9) | 119 (4.1) |
| Moderate or severe liver disease | 8 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 11 (0.3) | 8 (0.3) |
| Metastatic carcinoma | 16 (0.3) | ≤ 5 | 12 (0.3) | 7 (0.2) |
| HIV | 9 (0.2) | ≤ 5 | 12 (0.3) | 11 (0.4) |
| Syncope | 537 (9.6) | 279 (9.3) | 401 (10.4) | 312 (10.7) |
| Atrial fibrillation and flutter | 1367 (24.5) | 736 (24.5) | 1027 (26.7) | 804 (27.5) |
| Other arrhythmias | 4674 (83.8) | 2461 (81.8) | 2981 (77.5) | 2,313 (79) |
| Seizure disorders | 48 (0.9) | 22 (0.7) | 44 (1.1) | 34 (1.2) |
| Obstructive sleep apnea and other sleep disorders | 142 (2.5) | 81 (2.7) | 126 (3.3) | 99 (3.4) |
| Psychiatric disorders | 734 (13.2) | 410 (13.6) | 601 (15.6) | 466 (15.9) |
| Alcohol misuse | 161 (2.9) | 87 (2.9) | 113 (2.9) | 82 (2.8) |
| Other substance misuse | 121 (2.2) | 51 (1.7) | 79 (2.1) | 62 (2.1) |
| Chronic ischemic heart disease | 3492 (62.6) | 1926 (64.0) | 2252 (58.6) | 1769 (60.4) |
| Hypertension | 2404 (43.1) | 1356 (45.1) | 1759 (45.8) | 1366 (46.7) |
| Unstable angina | 228 (4.1) | 123 (4.1) | 55 (1.4) | 42 (1.4) |
| Pacemaker | ≤ 5 | 0 (0) | 59 (1.5) | 37 (1.3) |
| Cardiac arrest | 1036 (18.6) | 523 (17.4) | 898 (23.4) | 714 (24.4) |
| Ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation | 3778 (67.8) | 1886 (62.7) | 1849 (48.1) | 1456 (49.7) |
| Medications active at baseline | ||||
| Number of medications | ||||
| 0 or 1 | 1428 (25.6) | 653 (21.7) | 1004 (26.1) | 744 (25.4) |
| ≥ 2 | 4147 (74.4) | 2355 (78.3) | 2840 (73.9) | 2184 (74.6) |
| Loop diuretics | 1859 (33.3) | 1094 (36.4) | 1058 (27.5) | 821 (28.0) |
| ACEi or ARB | 3193 (57.3) | 1867 (62.1) | 2119 (55.1) | 1631 (55.7) |
| MRA | 1287 (23.1) | 788 (26.2) | 1033 (26.9) | 830 (28.3) |
| Beta-blockers | 3166 (56.8) | 1852 (61.6) | 2180 (56.7) | 1688 (57.7) |
| Nitroglycerin | 558 (10.0) | 306 (10.2) | 234 (6.1) | 180 (6.1) |
| Hydralazine | 83 (1.5) | 50 (1.7) | 63 (1.6) | 46 (1.6) |
| Antihypertensives | 4172 (74.8) | 2363 (78.6) | 2751 (71.6) | 2116 (72.3) |
| Digoxin | 883 (15.8) | 489 (16.3) | 190 (4.9) | 143 (4.9) |
| Calcium-channel blockers | 511 (9.2) | 276 (9.2) | 326 (8.5) | 229 (7.8) |
| Anti-arrhythmics | 537 (9.6) | 256 (8.5) | 155 (4.0) | 123 (4.2) |
| Statins | 2395 (43.0) | 1448 (48.1) | 1790 (46.6) | 1376 (47.0) |
| Antiplatelets | 769 (13.8) | 461 (15.3) | 685 (17.8) | 542 (18.5) |
| Anticoagulants | 1153 (20.7) | 660 (21.9) | 863 (22.5) | 650 (22.2) |
| Insulin | 241 (4.3) | 143 (4.8) | 201 (5.2) | 150 (5.1) |
| Oral hypoglycemics | 743 (13.3) | 463 (15.4) | 667 (17.4) | 504 (17.2) |
| Opioids | 319 (5.7) | 191 (6.3) | 254 (6.6) | 201 (6.9) |
| Benzodiazepines | 643 (11.5) | 357 (11.9) | 307 (8.0) | 243 (8.3) |
Baseline characteristics for the study cohort from both cardiac device registries and administrative health data. Values are n (%), unless otherwise indicated.
ACEi, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor; ARB, angiotensin receptor blocker; CCI, Charlson Comorbidity Index; CDR, Cardiac Device Registry [Cardiac Services BC]; HEARTis, Heart Information System [Cardiac Services BC]; HIV, human immunodeficiency virus; MRA, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist; Q, quartile.
∗
See text for inclusion criteria. Myocardial infarction, other substance misuse, chronic ischemic heart disease, hypertension, unstable angina, and pacemaker were considered present if ≥ 1 entries were present in the Discharge Abstract Database (DAD) data or ≥ 2 entries were present in the Medical Services Plan (MSP) data.